Vegan
International
Beer/Wine
Take-out
Casual vegan restaurant and wine bar. Menu includes small and large dishes as well as sides and dessert. Drinks include wine, beer and cocktails. A degustation option is available. NOTE: Closing time is flexible, so check ahead. Open Tue-Thu 6:00pm-10:00pm, Fri-Sat 6:00pm-10:30pm, Sun 5:30pm-9:00pm. Closed Mon.
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- Outdoor seating
- Accepts credit cards
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Last update on 12 Jul 2023 by Guest
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Added by Kittybiscuit on 15 Jun 2019
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70 Reviews
First Review by Kittybiscuit
styvbdz
Points +42
Vegan fine dining at its tastiest - Edit
All the food is sophisticated, fresh and delicious. Order the ‘Just Feed Me’ option and see what comes out - had insane beautiful dishes like Heirloom tomato w smoked mezcal sorbet, almonds & horseradish.
Read moreGuest
AndyH
Points +66
Best vegan restaurant in Melbourne - Edit
wonderful rich flavours. The smoky eggplant dip with homemade foccacia alone is worth the trip. Reasonably priced for exceptional quality food. The proprietor/chef is a crazy genius, long may he cook😊
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2024-10-08
Guest
BiancaLouise
Points +44
Lovely food and drinks - Edit
Everything was delicious, but I found the food a little too salty for my liking. I had the Lions Maine steak and gin sour mock tail. The mock tails were around $15 each and the steak was average main meal price ($32, I think). It was on a bed of spinach, but no other veggies. It was filling though.
Read moreMy friend had crispy eggplant and ordered potato skins. She said hers was salty too, but she likes it like that. Her mock tail was full cream ahead and she loved it!
Cool venue. Great location. Easy parking. Very friendly and helpful staff.
Pros: Good service, Lovely ambiance, Vegan restaurant
Cons: A bit too salty for me, Pricey
Guest
CabernetS
Points +500
Delicious degustation - Edit
I’d seen many recommendations for this restaurant. It completely lived up to expectations, even exceeded! We went the chefs menu. Food was delicious, we were absolutely stuffed full. Couldn’t believe how much delicious food we got for $65.
Read morePros: Delicious food , Friendly staff
Guest
BalmainLarger
Points +48
Killer food, killer vibes! - Edit
Killer food, killer vibes! Amazing flavours & fresh AF ingredients, I’ll be going back again for sure!
Read moreGuest
luigurl7
Points +458
An amazing little gem in the north of Melbourne - Edit
This place was recommended to us and it does not disappoint at all! Everything is so tasty and substantial, the only challenge is picking what to get especially on your first time here. Everything could be shared as portion sizes are quite large. You could always take away what you don't finish which was what we did. Would definitely come back!
Read morePros: Tasty, seasonal food! Drinks were nice , Food can be shared, Good service
Guest
Seitanicveg
Points +1787
Hit and miss - Edit
Came here for Tuesday night steak night. Very under-whelmed. Garlic bread was okay. Wasn’t a big fan of the sweet fig and fennel flavour.
Read moreWanted to love the lions mane mushroom steak. It had some nice seared bits, but was under seasoned and lost on the plate. Too much salad (also under seasoned) and too many fries. Not much cauliflower purée. I wonder if this dish would have been better on the regular menu night.
Green man’s arm’s do a much better mushroom steak.
Second time eating here and would not rush to go back, but would give it another go.
Updated from previous review on 2024-05-22
Pros: creative, veg focused/centric, vegan
Cons: Limited indoor seating , Service variable
Guest
Caitlee
Points +412
My favourite restaurant in Melbs - Edit
Truly the best vegan restaurant I’ve been to in Melbourne - a must visit. Everything is to die for and I can’t wait to go again!
Read moreGuest
jesseMC1991
Points +35
Best vegan restaurant I’ve been to - Edit
Great food, unpretentious, everything is vegan so ordering is fun because everything is an option!
Read moreGuest
MeaganKiely
Points +1226
The cabbage 🤤 I could eat this every day. Seriously delicious!! - Edit
Great vibe and even better food! Very well priced and friendly staff. You won’t be disappointed.
Read moreGuest
StephF
Points +165
The best feed I’ve had in a while! - Edit
The FOOD here - oh my god! So delicious. These people know their vegetables! It’s a cute little venue with a lovely outdoor area. The cocktails were a particular highlight. Would definitely come again.
Read morePros: Delicious food, Interesting variety, Great cocktails
Cons: Music was a little loud for conversation
Guest
jacintascarfone
Points +75
Soooooo good!!! - Edit
Will definitely be coming back, sat in the courtyard which was adorable and had the cosiest vibe inside! Good cocktails too!
Read moreGuest
belinda.ralston
Points +30
Amazing food! - Edit
We were so impressed by the food!! We had the Fed Me menu and were so impressed by the quality and flavours of the food! We will be back again for sure!
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2023-12-28
Guest
omgvegan
Points +88
Vegetables have never tasted so good - Edit
I went for the feed me option and enjoyed every single dish. Everything had so much flavour and I’m already looking forward to my next visit. My only wish is that the dessert wasn’t shared as a vanilla slice is not easy to share and not big enough for 2.
Read moreGuest
ligi
Points +77
Unique flavours!! - Edit
Food is just amazing. Can’t recommend the lion’s mane steak highly enough.
Read moreGuest
DanielBarnett
Points +18
Hands down my favourite - Edit
Absolutely my favourite restaurant in Melbourne. The food is amazing.
Read moreUpdated from previous review on 2022-11-02
Guest
AmberWilson
Points +28
FAVOURITE RESTAURANT - Edit
Ballard's is my absolute favourite restaurant I've ever been to. Somehow you just nail every single thing on the menu, the flavours are just so good! If you are in Melb you MUST go here. Sunday roasts are an epic, the gnocci is 🤤 and the parma deal was amazing (pls bring it back).
Read morePros: Flavour, Very reasonably priced, Atmosphere
Guest
Ari Gis
Points +112
Undefeated Champion - Edit
This is the best vegan restaurant in Melbourne. I’ve been dozens of times and it always delivers. I love their regular bistro menu as it always changes but the flavours and textures are incredible. Recently, I’ve been to their roast nights and parma nights and they were great as well. Fanciest parma you can find.
Read moreCreative food by an artist of a chef. Relaxed atmosphere in a dimly lit cozy wine bar. Unhinged sarcastic ramblings of a mad man for a social media marketing plan. What more could you ask for?
We are truly not worthy.
Pros: Flavours, Good jokes, Terrible bedside manner
Cons: Costs too little, Not open 24/7, Makes other restaurants seem worse
Guest
chatreuse
Points +5103
High quality food for reasonable prices - Edit
I generally love the food at Ballard's. The most recent time I went was the first time I ordered a couple things that I ended up not loving. The mushroom gnocchi is pillowy and fluffy, but was a little lukewarm (except those in the centre) this time. We also got the salad and garlic bread included basically free, as part of their $30 gnocchi, salad, garlic bread special. The garlic bread was covered with what looked like bolognaise sauce but tasted like chilli jam (far too sweet for our liking).
Read moreThe parsnip rosti was a surprising highlight, it was delightfully crunchy.
Their burnt eggplant dip is always delicious, and comes with amazing house made focaccia.
The charred brassicas was layered with some pickles, which was quite strongly flavoured, and wasn't to my taste. Also, the brassicas were kale (I wouldn't have got the dish if I had known) and turnip (I think).
Alot of their dishes are on par with what you'd get at a fancy degustation restaurant, but in a cosy, grunge bar aesthetic. I love what the chef can do with just wholefoods, I wish there was less oil used though.
Pros: Delicious wholefoods
Cons: Some dishes have too much oil drizzled on/around
Guest
MartinMare
Points +29
Amazing - Edit
We had the five course menu. Everything was amazing and felt curated but not in a stuffy way. Warm and inviting atmosphere and great vegan wines.
Read morePros: Both casual menu and degustation, Great atmosphere, Entirely plant based menu
Guest
veganbabe69
Points +228
Quaint bar with relaxed vibe - Edit
All vegan bar with lovely small dishes for sharing as well as larger plates. Spots to dine inside or outside. Especially enjoyed the focaccia with shiitake dip.
Read moreGuest
alex.a
Points +521
Wow - Edit
Have been meaning to come here for a while, to try out the delicious food. Bar has a friendly, eclectic and chilled vibe which is nice. We started with the chili fried popcorn cauliflower which was very very good. Very light but crispy batter/coating finished off with chipotle Mayo and pepitas for some texture. Perfect way to start the meal. My partner had the Sunday roast with all the delicious trimmings. All the elements worked and the flavours balanced like a champion.
Read moreBut the star in my eyes was the pesto gnocchi with charred broccoli, roast tomato, kale pesto and chili oil. There was so many flavours all balanced so well, it was impossible to fault. As I’m eating each mouthful is as good as the first, with many mmmmmms and “how good is this?!?” to “I can’t believe how good this is”. I’ve grown up around gnocchi my whole life and this was the best I’ve eaten. So much so I bought another serve to take away, took it to my Italian parents to sample (I know, fraught with danger lol). They also agreed with my assessment. “Ma che buoni!!” (how good are these?!?)
We also had the desert, which was okay, but not to the level of the other dishes.
Well done guys, definitely be back.
Update Feb 2023: This has become my favourite restaurant of all time (vegan/non vegan), the variety and inventiveness of the dishes never cease to amaze me. The chef Tamlyn is a wizard of vegan food.
Updated from previous review on 2020-11-30
Pros: Beautiful vegan food, Cool venue
Guest
RuthSharon
Points +1340
Gnocchi heaven - Edit
I’ve been excited to try this place, big fan of the owners social media presence and the menu sounded delicious. Let’s just say it was everything I was hoping for and more. Cool vibes and awesome food, and some Rick and morty music? 😂
Read morePros: All vegan , Super fluffy gnocchi, Great service
Guest
Loafysophy
Points +25
Amazing - Edit
Been following Ballards on Instagram for a while after some friends raved about how good the food was, and we finally visited last month.
Read moreAll the dishes were delicious (big love for the roast potatoes and the agnolotti). The prices were really reasonable too.
The menu changes regularly so you can check Instagram or Facebook to see what’s on offer.
If you want to book just send a text to secure a table.
Pros: All Vegan, Good price for the quality of the food , Great atmosphere
Guest
DebbieBlacker
Points +127
Amazing maybe we should make sure not too many know 🤔 - Edit
Was honestly best vegan food around. A few of us find a different place each month and this food was a stand out!
Read morePros: Feed me
Cons: No cons just fabulous
Guest
Rah_B
Points +99
Quality and unpretentious - Edit
One of my favourite places to eat in Melbourne. If you get tired of the regular vegan faux meats and burgers this is such a great alternative. Suprisingly unpretentious, which is a welcome change from what often comes with vegan dining.
Read moreConstantly changing menu, interesting flavours and really good value considering the quality of the food.
Also, the Sunday roast is a massive winner. Hearty and healthy, while also being indulgent
Guest
jazzy.g
Points +449
Great Vibe! - Edit
Great vibe and the food was great! My mum literally licked the plate lol
Read morePros: Vegan
Guest
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